Thomas Robinson Predraft Workout

[no pun intended]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nMIJAKVNm2s&feature=related

Dat jumper so flat.

[AK47DR91]

I thought pull-up and transitional jumpers are more of a perimeter player type of play.

Anyway, I think he's gonna be a Brandon Bass, Paul Millsap type of player.

[Haymaker]

Are everybody sucking on purpose when it comes to workout for the Wizards? :oldlol:

[Rowe]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nMIJAKVNm2s&feature=related

Dat jumper so flat.

Didn't check the video, but I really feel sorry for the team who's going to take him in the Top 7. You're going to get a good rebounder but he's definetly going to be the biggest "bust" in the Draft as far as draft position goes. He's the type of guy who might give you 10/8 at best, but not much more than that kind of production when given a starting job and a respectable usage rate.

He doesn't have the overall skill package to be a Top 10 or Top 15 PF in the NBA. If he went anywhere between 10-20 he wouldn't have to deal with those kind of expectations and his career wouldn't be questioned.

[no pun intended]

Are everybody sucking on purpose when it comes to workout for the Wizards? :oldlol:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xJLmudSt1o0

Yes. LOL.

[RedBlackAttack]

Didn't check the video, but I really feel sorry for the team who's going to take him in the Top 7. You're going to get a good rebounder but he's definetly going to be the biggest "bust" in the Draft as far as draft position goes. He's the type of guy who might give you 10/8 at best, but not much more than that kind of production when given a starting job and a respectable usage rate.

He doesn't have the overall skill package to be a Top 10 or Top 15 PF in the NBA. If he went anywhere between 10-20 he wouldn't have to deal with those kind of expectations and his career wouldn't be questioned.
He very well may be the No. 2 overall pick if Charlotte doesn't trade down. I truly believe it is down to Robinson and Barnes, which is pretty stunning to me when you have two far better prospects (imo) in MKG and Beal.

But, I also heard that Robinson has been absolutely beastly in the competitive portions of his workouts. He and Drummond were both in Cleveland working out together last week and word was that Robinson completely decimated Drummond on both sides of the floor.

When it comes to strictly skills, I tend to agree with you. He relied a lot on his physical attributes and natural athleticism in college and I don't see that being all effective in a league where guys will match up with him much better in those areas. However, everything that I've heard indicates that he is a tenacious competitor and a hard-worker, which is always enticing when you are talking about a guy that is built like a brick sh!t-house and has nice natural athleticism.

So, I'm sort of split on what his NBA career will look like... Wasn't a big fan of his game in college, but like what I've heard about his work ethic and competitiveness.

We'll see. Expect him to go No. 2 if the Bobcats keep the pick, which seems to be in doubt because the Cavs seem to really want to jump Washington, presumably to grab Beal.

Should be a very interesting Thursday night.

[Rowe]

I thought pull-up and transitional jumpers are more of a perimeter player type of play.

Anyway, I think he's gonna be a Brandon Bass, Paul Millsap type of player.

The sad part is those guys ended up as 2nd Rounders, while Robinson wont go lower than 6th. Just off of having seen both in college, Paul Millsap was a better player than Robinson simply off of having a far better low post game. He played at a lower level but was a dominant force from day 1 and his "knock" was the questions of him being 6'7 or 6'9. Wasn't a great athlete, but was far smoother with utilizing his lower body strength and showed good footwork.

If Robinson's bread & butter is going to be in the low post in the NBA, he's due for a serious rude awakening unless he goes to a team who gives him the shots he wants so he can stat pad on subpar efficiency. Same thing that happened with JJ Hickson in Cleveland & Blatche in Washington before they realized that it was not worth continuing and playing up their egos.

[RedBlackAttack]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xJLmudSt1o0

Yes. LOL.
Well, it is tough to make comparisons because there are only one or two franchises who release these workout videos... Also, we have no idea how much these guys have worked when the cameras were turned on.

I know this... the Cavs hold onto their pre-draft workouts like they are the Pentagon Papers. It is very difficult to get a reading on which way they are leaning.

I don't really understand the benefit of releasing these videos, I must say.

[NumberSix]

Robinson > Davis. Book it!

[RedBlackAttack]

Just watched the video and it doesn't tell you very much. First, like I said, we have no clue at which point this drill was run in the workout. It could have been the last thing on the agenda and just a test on his conditioning and not necessarily making baskets. He was still moving well and getting a pretty quick release on those jumpers (better than the other two guys competing, for sure).

The other thing is, I don't think the Wizards hope that Robinson is going to be the kind of player that will throw up 15-18 foot spot-up jumpers on fast breaks.

[Rowe]

He very well may be the No. 2 overall pick if Charlotte doesn't trade down. I truly believe it is down to Robinson and Barnes, which is pretty stunning to me when you have two far better prospects (imo) in MKG and Beal.

But, I also heard that Robinson has been absolutely beastly in the competitive portions of his workouts. He and Drummond were both in Cleveland working out together last week and word was that Robinson completely decimated Drummond on both sides of the floor.

When it comes to strictly skills, I tend to agree with you. He relied a lot on his physical attributes and natural athleticism in college and I don't see that being all effective in a league where guys will match up with him much better in those areas. However, everything that I've heard indicates that he is a tenacious competitor and a hard-worker, which is always enticing when you are talking about a guy that is built like a brick sh!t-house and has nice natural athleticism.

So, I'm sort of split on what his NBA career will look like... Wasn't a big fan of his game in college, but like what I've heard about his work ethic and competitiveness.

We'll see. Expect him to go No. 2 if the Bobcats keep the pick, which seems to be in doubt because the Cavs seem to really want to jump Washington, presumably to grab Beal.

Should be a very interesting Thursday night.

Thats primarily why he's been received so highly among NBA scouts is that he's an ultra-competitor on the floor who plays with a lot of emotion. Destroying Andre Drummond isn't really a surprising thing considering Drummond doesn't play with as much intensity in-game, let alone in a workout session where his performance doesn't really matter as much.

However, I really have some concerns about how his attitude will carry over after he becomes a professional and losing games becomes just as consistent as the paychecks. This is a guy who has gotten himself in trouble since HS and even in college off the court, although most of that has been put on the side as his tragic family situation became the story to define him. I've seen a lot of "hard working", "blue collar" type of intense college players become lackadaisical NBA players once they get their paychecks.

Charlotte would probably be the worst possible situation for him considering they're a Franchise desperately looking for a "superstar". I couldn't even tell you right now if Thomas Robinson should start over Biyombo at PF, although if he does go that high such an opportunity will be thrown on him without any sort of work.

But definetly draft night will be interesting.

I personally think he's going to be the odd man out in that Top 4.

[Rowe]

Robinson > Davis. Book it!

If both guys never reach their potential, I'd still rather have Davis' elite shotblocking skill over another "hustle, rebounder" type in Robinson.

Pretty sure New Orleans feels the same way.

[Rowe]

Just watched the video and it doesn't tell you very much. First, like I said, we have no clue at which point this drill was run in the workout. It could have been the last thing on the agenda and just a test on his conditioning and not necessarily making baskets. He was still moving well and getting a pretty quick release on those jumpers (better than the other two guys competing, for sure).

The other thing is, I don't think the Wizards hope that Robinson is going to be the kind of player that will throw up 15-18 foot spot-up jumpers on fast breaks.

Well, if he did end up with Washington. I do think they would hope he's capable of consistently hitting 15-18 foot jumpshots after setting a pick or screen or even if he's left wide open near the top of the key. With the acquistions of Nene & Okafor to go with the inconsistent shooting backcourt of Wall & Crawford they will be looking for any sort of semblance of "spacing" on the floor.


********* tells me the 2 other guys working out were Al'Lonzo Coleman from Presbyterian & Kevin Thompson from Morgan State. Never heard of the first one but I've seen Thompson play multiple times at Morgan State and he's most likely going to be a D-League level player or overseas. He rarely took any shots outside of 5 feet in college but was very good in the post. Bozeman had him set up on the low block on every possession and their offense worked inside-out with Thompson either using his strength to power his way to lay it in or passing it back out for them to swing the ball around and jack up a 3 pointer.

[RedBlackAttack]

Thats primarily why he's been received so highly among NBA scouts is that he's an ultra-competitor on the floor who plays with a lot of emotion. Destroying Andre Drummond isn't really a surprising thing considering Drummond doesn't play with as much intensity in-game, let alone in a workout session where his performance doesn't really matter as much.

However, I really have some concerns about how his attitude will carry over after he becomes a professional and losing games becomes just as consistent as the paychecks. This is a guy who has gotten himself in trouble since HS and even in college off the court, although most of that has been put on the side as his tragic family situation became the story to define him. I've seen a lot of "hard working", "blue collar" type of intense college players become lackadaisical NBA players once they get their paychecks.

Charlotte would probably be the worst possible situation for him considering they're a Franchise desperately looking for a "superstar". I couldn't even tell you right now if Thomas Robinson should start over Biyombo at PF, although if he does go that high such an opportunity will be thrown on him without any sort of work.

But definetly draft night will be interesting.

I personally think he's going to be the odd man out in that Top 4.

Pretty much agree with your post aside from the bolded part. These workouts really should mean a hell of a lot more to these guys than a random regular season basketball game.

The difference in the pay scale between going, say, No. 4 to the Cavs and dropping to the bottom half of the lottery is huge. There are millions of dollars on the line and, at least in the Cavs' case, there is a lot of stock put into how these guys look against other top prospects in a setting that the franchise can control to try to spot weaknesses.

One of the biggest reasons that Tristan Thompson was taken No. 4 overall last year was because he completely out-performed Derrick Williams in several workouts. If these guys think that these pre-draft workouts don't mean much, they have been misled somewhere along the way.

These are the most important moments in their careers up to this point, from a perspective of making a living playing basketball. If you look like garbage, your stock can plummet. Drummond had a real chance to get into the Top 4... Even as high as No. 2 with good workouts and interviews. Instead, most mocks now have him between 7-10.

Millions of dollars have potentially been lost.

[RedBlackAttack]

Well, if he did end up with Washington. I do think they would hope he's capable of consistently hitting 15-18 foot jumpshots after setting a pick or screen or even if he's left wide open near the top of the key. With the acquistions of Nene & Okafor to go with the inconsistent shooting backcourt of Wall & Crawford they will be looking for any sort of semblance of "spacing" on the floor.


********* tells me the 2 other guys working out were Al'Lonzo Coleman from Presbyterian & Kevin Thompson from Morgan State. Never heard of the first one but I've seen Thompson play multiple times at Morgan State and he's most likely going to be a D-League level player or overseas. He rarely took any shots outside of 5 feet in college but was very good in the post. Bozeman had him set up on the low block on every possession and their offense worked inside-out with Thompson either using his strength to power his way to lay it in or passing it back out for them to swing the ball around and jack up a 3 pointer.

Running pick-and-pops is one thing. Throwing up long jumpers on fast breaks can have an unnatural feel, especially for a big man. I would be willing to bet if the workout was in the halfcourt and consisted of him popping out on a screen, setting his feet and shooting, he would have had a much better percentage made.

Looked like more of a conditioning drill than a shooting drill to me.

[Rowe]

Pretty much agree with your post aside from the bolded part. These workouts really should mean a hell of a lot more to these guys than a random regular season basketball game.

The difference in the pay scale between going, say, No. 4 to the Cavs and dropping to the bottom half of the lottery is huge. There are millions of dollars on the line and, at least in the Cavs' case, there is a lot of stock put into how these guys look against other top prospects in a setting that the franchise can control to try to spot weaknesses.

One of the biggest reasons that Tristan Thompson was taken No. 4 overall last year was because he completely out-performed Derrick Williams in several workouts. If these guys think that these pre-draft workouts don't mean much, they have been misled somewhere along the way.

These are the most important moments in their careers up to this point, from a perspective of making a living playing basketball. If you look like garbage, your stock can plummet. Drummond had a real chance to get into the Top 4... Even as high as No. 2 with good workouts and interviews. Instead, most mocks now have him between 7-10.

Millions of dollars have potentially been lost.

I was referencing the perception of a player like Drummond who has assured himself of being a Top 10 pick. If an in-game performance doesn't register to him as being important and he had 25-30 of those, then I highly doubt a competition with another player would get a rise out of him. He's always had motivation problems and we both saw that at UConn as he would just coast through games without trying to establish himself on offense. On the other hand, T-Rob is on a mission to prove himself to every NBA scout/GM because he's trying to earn respect & a payday. Just more mature and realizing that these workouts are a job interview.

Drummond's stock should be slipping, but his upside is so attractive. From all I've gathered via the ISH Rumors page the past 2 weeks and the Twitters of local columnists, he has struck out at each workout. Probably has a lot to do with him not taking them seriously or much else seriously. I saw that he had ended one of his workouts after they did a simple Free Throw drill and clanked a few.:oldlol: I think that was in Portland.

[tomtucker]

Just kick the Bobcocs and the Jizzards out of the league..........stop making these college guys suffer

[Rowe]

Running pick-and-pops is one thing. Throwing up long jumpers on fast breaks can have an unnatural feel, especially for a big man. I would be willing to bet if the workout was in the halfcourt and consisted of him popping out on a screen, setting his feet and shooting, he would have had a much better percentage made.

Looked like more of a conditioning drill than a shooting drill to me.

True.

Being asked to hit mid-range jumpers while he should be filling his lane and cutting to the rim isn't realistic for what he'd expect in the NBA. You've got to have a terrible PG to end up a fastbreak that far out:lol , and some pretty terrible shot selection(Nick Young-esque) to take a jumper in the midst of a fast break.

From the premise of the drill it looked as if they wanted to see how they shoot when being lead into a jumpshot. That part is going to be pretty realistic for the NBA for a PF. Espescially at the speed of the NBA game where if he were to set a pick or screen he'd have to be ready to catch & shoot, sometimes without having his feet firmly planted. You can't be timid for even 1/2 a second in those situations once you catch the ball.

It might've been a conditioning drill too. Who knows how many times they had gone through it before they started recording. :confusedshrug: I think its dumb for the Wizards Youtube account to put a workout video up without editing, which is pretty much what other teams basically do.

[Punpun]

All dat hating I'm getting. Keep feeding. The More Fed I am, the Most dominant I will be.

[Punpun]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nMIJAKVNm2s&feature=related

Dat jumper so flat.

Once I got it going, DAMN THAT Jshot was wet. :biggums:

[Rowe]

All dat hating I'm getting. Keep feeding. The More Fed I am, the Most dominant I will be.

So Thomas where do you think you'll end up on draft night?

[Punpun]

Everyone telling me I will end up as a cat. Up to me to turn the team into tigers.. But god, will it be hard. On the other hand, I will be allowed to roam free and will be in good position for the RoY.

[PP34Deuce]

Robinson is a better athlete than Milsap, Favors, coming out. He's not refined like them. The guy is a better athlete than Bass while being a better rebounder.

I agree, he's not really a top 10 pick in my eyes

[Punpun]

Robinson is a better athlete than Milsap, Favors, coming out. He's not refined like them. The guy is a better athlete than Bass while being a better rebounder.

I agree, he's not really a top 10 pick in my eyes

Actually, you are disagreeing here.

:yaohappy:

[Meticode]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xJLmudSt1o0

Yes. LOL.
:roll:

Did he ever hit more than 2 in a row? On his second time hitting two in a row and missing the third one he let Cassell get the ball (at least it looks like Cassell). And the camera man is like, "He has having problems...GOD!"

[PP34Deuce]

Actually, you are disagreeing here.

:yaohappy:

Hes a better prospect potentially than those guys, I still think in the draft there are 10-11 better players with skill or potential than him.

[Punpun]

:yaohappy:

[JustinJDW]

Who was the last Kansas player to really pan out since Paul Pierce? Hinrich and Chalmers are the only guys that ever came out of that program that even starts.

[Punpun]

Perfect background story for a Legend.

[Rowe]

Who was the last Kansas player to really pan out since Paul Pierce? Hinrich and Chalmers are the only guys that ever came out of that program that even starts.
Good point.

Who was the last player before Pierce to pan out in the NBA from Kansas? I mean I guess you can say Danny Manning who came out 10 years before him although he didn't live up to the hype.

Kansas puts a lot of guys in the pros, just few "stars".

Not sure why.

[rufuspaul]

But, I also heard that Robinson has been absolutely beastly in the competitive portions of his workouts. He and Drummond were both in Cleveland working out together last week and word was that Robinson completely decimated Drummond on both sides of the floor.



The same thing happened here in Charlotte on Friday. I think the Cavs and Cats are gonna make that trade. Davis goes 1, Beal 2, not really sure who the Wizards take at 3, and the Cats take either Barnes, MKG or Robinson at 4.

[Punpun]

I'm going to end up at two. The Cats confirmed it.